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Mark Jefferson
Note: This page contains spoilers for the currently released episodes of Life is Strange. "Seriously though, I could frame any one of you in a dark corner, and capture you in a moment of desperation." — Mark Jefferson in "Chrysalis" Mark Jefferson is a photography teacher at Blackwell Academy and the main antagonist of Life Is Strange. He is also a famous photographer, who gained popularity during the 90's. He seems to be generally admired by his students, including Max. Personality Jefferson seems to be an active and passionate photographer. He cares about the work of his students, making sure they enter the "Everyday Heroes" Contest in order to have a chance at progressing their artistic careers. However, his dismissive treatment of Kate's problems as she asks for help in "Out of Time", portrays him as somewhat callous and insensitive. Jefferson seems to be cautious around the flirtatious nature of his student Victoria. Despite her efforts to flirt with him, he declines; especially as she becomes more explicit in "Chaos Theory". This could be because of the value he places on innocence. In reality, Jefferson is a cold individual who cares very little for others, with an obscure obsession to capture the frame of "innocence" in others. He is prepared to kill anyone who he deems a liability to him or his plans and will stop at nothing to achieve his personal objectives. He is further willing to manipulate others to his advantage while making sure that they remain silent. Jefferson seems to have situations planned out well in advance, this combined with his high intelligence and extreme cunning has allowed him to continue what he is doing without being caught. It appears that Mr. Jefferson has a fondness for jazz and blues which is shown from his selection of music in the dark room, and an appreciation for Japanese manga from owning an original signed illustration. Throughout Life is Strange, Jefferson was either directly or indirectly responsible for the (potential) deaths of a total of 7 characters. Biography The following is what Max wrote about Mark in her journal : Not only is Mark Jefferson one of the best photographers in the world, he's also my teacher. And one of the reasons I wanted to come to Blackwell. How often do you get to be mentored by one of your inspirations? I've always loved his deco and goth style and he's so versatile with all of his incredible print and advertising work. Still, Jefferson can be a bit condescending. He's pretty hip for his age, but kinda aloof and sometimes pretentious. He has this smug smile when he thinks he's right... But I do think he's preparing us for how tough it is to be a full time "artist". He acts like he understands my own work and obsession with analog images. He really wants me to enter a photo in this "Everyday Hero" contest but I've done a good job of avoiding that. The winner gets to fly to San Francisco to represent Blackwell Academy and get national exposure. I'd like to think my work could be good enough to win and I'm honored Jefferson even bugs me about the contest. Background Jefferson was born in Arcadia Bay and at some point in his life, developed an interest in art and photography as a student. He attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago, most likely majoring in photography. It is likely that he graduated with high honors. Eventually, Jefferson's work would become widely recognised during the 90's and this would lead to him becoming a well established photographer. With his most popular work being his black and white shots. His work is specifically focused on black and white portrait photography and shots involving female models in sexualised positions though he does have a diverse portfolio. His shots has been published on front covers of various fashion magazines and had even his own book published on taking the perfect photograph. It appears that Jefferson has very strict opinions on art and photography and is prepared to criticise other artist's views and opinions on specific art styles, for example his early comments on the famous photographer Diane Arbus. He believes strongly in the beauty and innocence that art should maintain, so much so that he believes that true beauty is almost impossible to obtain "without a beat". At some point during his career he was offered a teaching position at Blackwell Academy back in Arcadia Bay, Jefferson accepted this position as art lecturer. This would lead to huge increase in popularity of Blackwell as a large number students applied from around the country just to get a place on Mr. Jefferson's art course including Max Caulfield who was successful. Much of his work is displayed around the Blackwell campus, particularly at the front of the building in large-scale, outdoor frames. Episode One - "Chrysalis" Max initially snaps out of her vision in the middle of Jefferson's photography class. Jefferson wants his students to each submit a photo for the "Everyday Heroes" contest. Max tries to avoid it, but he tells her she needs the courage to share her work. Max can rewind several times in order to impress Jefferson; specifically to steal Victoria's answer about the Daguerreian Process, and to quote John Lennon."Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." After some exploration in the classroom, we can see that he took a picture of his students in the first week of the semester as well as his photos placed on the front cover of fashion magazines, his highly expensive photography equipment and various art/photography books. Upon speaking with Stella, Max learns of a rumor that Mark had sex with Rachel Amber before she went missing. As it starts to snow at the end of the episode, Mr. Jefferson is shown working on his laptop inside his empty classroom. He notices the snow from the classroom windows and slowly looks up to witness the event. Episode Two - "Out of Time" He is seen talking to Kate about her problems, dismissing her worries and quoting Hamlet, "perhaps she doth protest too much". She asks for help, but becomes frustrated and leaves the school. His insensitivity contributes to her suicide attempt. When Max makes a comparison between Kate and Rachel Amber, Mr. Jefferson remarks that "Rachel was nothing like Kate" and adds that he misses her. As Max tries to find out more about the conversation, Jefferson moves away to take a phone call. He then commences class with another lecture about black and white photography, but is interrupted by the commotion surrounding Kate at the Prescott Dormitory. In Principal Wells' office after the incident with Kate, Max can choose to blame Jefferson for the incident. Wells makes it clear that he should have been more attuned to the needs of his students. Blame Jefferson= If Max blames Jefferson for not being attuned to his student's needs, and being dismissive of her, Wells suspends Jefferson from attending the "Everyday Heroes" Contest, saying that he is no longer a good representative for the school after not showing enough consideration towards his students; particularly due to knowing Kate well after she helped him after class occasionally. |-|Blame either Nathan or David= Jefferson takes no blame and is sent on his way from the office. At the end of the episode, Wells and Jefferson can be seen arguing as Jefferson leaves the Parking Lot in his car. Episode Three - "Chaos Theory" |-|If Max Blames Jefferson= If Mr. Jefferson is suspended for his involvement in Kate's successful or attempted suicide, a social media page supporting Jefferson is set up by his students. Victoria comments on the page, saying, "The major reason I came to Blackwell was Mark Jefferson". Near the beginning of the episode, Max and Chloe overhear Jefferson talking with Victoria. He was helping her review her portfolio after school hours. She flirts with him and attempts to blackmail him into picking her photo for the "Everyday Heroes" Contest. He refuses her explicit attempts at flirting, and disciplines her, saying she should return to her dormitory. It seems as though he has no interest in pursuing anything with her, and takes a professional approach. Episode Four - "Dark Room" As Max and Chloe enter the Blackwell campus to search Nathan's Room for proof of his involvement in the disappearance of Rachel and the drugging of Kate, they encounter Jefferson. He engages Max and Chloe in conversation, and asks why someone as cool as Chloe doesn't go to Blackwell. The girls seem happy with the quick chat, as Chloe comments that he is "hot for a teacher", and teases Max about her having Jefferson all to herself now that Chloe isn't at Blackwell. After Max talks to Victoria in the VIP section of the End of the World Party, Jefferson appears and has another chat with her and Chloe. He seems happy that she has turned up to the party, and does not act suspiciously if Max asks about Nathan. He excuses himself, getting on stage to make a speech about the winner of the "Everyday Heroes" Contest, which Victoria has won. After receiving a text from Nathan, Max and Chloe rush to the junkyard to protect Rachel's body from being tampered with. As the girls uncover the body again, Max warns Chloe to be quiet, and is approached from behind. Jefferson drugs Max by injecting her with a needle, and then shoots Chloe in the forehead. Max is unable to use her rewind power due to the drugs, and is unable to save Chloe. It is now clear that he had a hand in her disappearance and death, and that he is most likely working with Nathan, the Prescott family, and possibly even Principal Wells.Wells is a known drinker of whiskey; a bottle of the alcohol can be found in his office, as well as in the Prescott Bunker/Dark Room. This is a possible link between the Principal and the room. Although, this is unconfirmed. Episode Five - "Polarized" In the beginning of the episode, Max will wake up inside the Dark Room, bound and strapped onto a chair, while Mr. Jefferson is nowhere to be seen or heard. Upon travelling back to the past from a photograph which Jefferson took of her on a nearby tray, Max wakes up to find herself being exposed at from different angles while Jefferson takes shots at her with a camera. He praises Max for her innocence and beauty but suddenly becomes very frustrated and angry as Max whimpers and cries, ruining his shots in the process. Jefferson calls Max special and begins to set her aside from Rachel Amber. He mentions Nathan and his inability to create specific styles and themes, but notes that he had an eye for shadows and an eye for a "whole lot more as his elitist family will find out along with Arcadia Bay". Jefferson berates Max for being nosy and explains that the Dark Room was under 24-hour surveillance, which is how he discovered Max and Chloe's interference before texting them from Nathan's phone. He then tells Max that she should have focused on her school work and that he's "sorry" that he killed Chloe in what he calls self-defense, mentioning that she had a troubled history and that nobody will care about her death--but people will care about Max when she dies, bringing up Max's "gift" again. He gets close to take more photos but becomes frustrated as Max keeps moving and suggests another dose to calm her down. In her struggle, Max kicks away the trolley with the drugs and her folder, causing it to spill over her photos. Jefferson becomes annoyed and yells at Max for never listening and that had she listened in class, she may have seen all of this coming. He tells her that he's had his eye on her and noticed that she had become more fearless that week than ever before. As Max begins to struggle, Jefferson tells Max to remember his number one rule "always take the shot", before sedating her with more drugs. Max looses consciousness and returns to the altered present. Max, returning to the altered present, notices another photo on the nearby tray as she recalls kicking the trolley, making the drugs spill on her folder which forced Jefferson to take the photos out. She focuses on the photo and goes back in time yet again, this time she is strapped onto a chair while Mr. Jefferson takes photos from a distance. He remarks that Victoria would kill to be in Max's position. However, she did not understand the connection between himself and Max. He praises Max as his winner, choosing her portrait and not anyone else. Max asks Mr. Jefferson why he's doing all of this. Jefferson, rather glad that she asked that question, explained that he's obsessed with the idea of innocence and the transaction between colour. He further explains that most models become too cynical and arrogant which results in the loss of their artistic potential. Some students on the other hand, have that artistic potential and those few are chosen by Jefferson as his subjects. Max calls him a psychopath and warns him that this is his last session. Jefferson responds by claiming that he's so sane that no one would suspect him. He then brings up Chloe, telling Max not to start talking about her again and that he dealt with enough punk girls in his Seattle days and that he shot her in self-defence. Jefferson mentions Kate and says that she could have been his masterpiece, had things been a little different. He reveals his plan to use Nathan as a cover-up for his actions and took on Nathan as a student in order to gain access to the Prescott fortune and his very own darkroom but was wise not to tell Nathan everything. The truth about Rachel Amber's death comes to light as Mr. Jefferson reveals that Nathan was incapable of being taught and Mark eventually became frustrated with Nathan's lust for Rachel. In a bid to try and produce his own images, Nathan accidentally gave Rachel an overdose. Upon Max asking where Nathan was, Jefferson reveals that he has already killed and buried Nathan. Max belittles Jefferson by telling him that he couldn't possibly get away with all of this, although Jefferson has little concern and vows to make sure there's nothing left of Max. With that, Jefferson puts on some music and goes to his computer to develop his images. Max notices her diary at the side of the room and rewinds to get Jefferson to give it to her. Max then focuses on her selfie that she took during class and travels back to that moment. Upon realising that this is her opportunity to bring Mr. Jefferson to justice, Max shrugs off Jefferson's question about the daguerreian process prompting him to become quite bemused by her behaviour. She then sends a text message to David Madsen revealing Jefferson as a criminal. When Max approaches Jefferson at the end of the lecture, Jefferson asks if everything is okay but Max ignores him and gets straight down to submitting her photo. Jefferson remarks how easy that was in which Max responds that it was not easy at all. Rather glad that she entered her photo, Jefferson tells Max that maybe they'll both be heading to San Francisco together and that anything could happen in a week. Max responds by telling Mr. Jefferson that he'll find out. Thus, Max creates another timeline resulting in her winning the Everyday Heroes contest with principal Wells and Jefferson and Nathan being arrested. At the Zeitgeist gallery, a number of guests express anger and disappointment at Mark Jefferson's absence, believing that he was going to be attending the exhibition. Upon receiving a phone call from Chloe back in Arcadia Bay that the tornado is destroying the town, Max goes back in time using her competition photo. She destroys her photo that she would have handed in to Mr. Jefferson and creates another timeline where she doesn't win but ends up in the Dark Room again. (There's still plot related to Mr. Jefferson in this episode that need to be added.) Alternate Timeline Although we do not directly meet him in the alternate timeline, his photography are still on display around the Blackwell campus. This calls into question whether alternate Max came back to Arcadia Bay for his teaching or not. However, Rachel Amber is still missing, meaning that Jefferson's involvement with her kidnapping and murder could still be possible in the alternate timeline. Spirit Animal and Symbolism Colour Symbolism Jefferson is heavily associated with the colours black and white, due to both his clothing, and photography style. These colours have been heavily associated with death in the game, and back up theories about Jefferson being involved with the disappearance of Rachel Amber. As of Episode Four, these theories have been confirmed. Spirit Animal It is highly possible that Jefferson's spirit animal is the owl. Its appearance twice in episode four could mean his association with the areas in which it is featured; the barn, which he has obviously been associated with due to the Dark Room beneath it, and the Junk yard right before Jefferson appears to intercept the girls. This owl could have been foreshadowing; ideal in this particular situation considering the symbolism of the owl totem. The owl is highly representative of wisdom and change, as well as the ability to look beyond the ordinary and take inspiration from the things most people cannot see.http://www.spiritanimal.info/owl-spirit-animal/ This makes complete sense considering Jefferson's profession as a photographer; finding inspiration in the tiny details of the world creates good photos. His personal inspiration taken from the beauty of innocence, vulnerability and desperation could be symbolized with this totem. Most importantly, the most traditional symbol associated with the owl is the approach of death, creating change. Obviously this is highly applicable for Jefferson after his encounter with the girls, and his association with Rachel's death. Discussed Theories Note: These are theories developed prior to the release of Episode 5: Polarized. Darkroom Events There were theories about Jefferson being responsible in some way for the disappearance of Rachel Amber, and possibly the drugging of Kate Marsh. His black and white photography focuses on sexualised young ladies at the height of their innocence; highly suspicious. His work focuses on innocence, but is similar to the tortured black and white images in Nathan's room, as well as in the Prescott Bunker. His words from episode one, "Seriously though, I could frame any one of you in a dark corner, and capture you in a moment of desperation.", also seem to be a clear foreshadowing of him primarily being involved in the dark room events. His profession's association with "Dark Rooms", used to develop photographs, fed the theory that Nathan's drawing of "Rachel in the Dark Room" from "Chaos Theory", is related to him in some way. This combined with the rumor about Jefferson and Rachel engaging in sexual relations, all led to Jefferson being involved in the suspicious incidents at Blackwell. It is speculated that unrequited feelings of love could be involved. It is now clear that Kate Marsh was drugged, and dragged to the underground photography studio bunker in order for her photograph to be taken in compromising and vulnerable positions. It is highly implied that Jefferson is in part responsible for this; as well as being responsible for the photographing of many other victims, as well as the photographing and death of Rachel Amber. This is supported by his behavior towards Kate when she is crying to him and asking him for help and he tells her to knock of the "martyr act and blames her for what has happened". He is rumored to have slept with Rachel, and he claims "Kate was nothing like Rachel" in a vaguely sinister manner while talking to Max. There is also a strong possibility that he is associated with Nathan Prescott, due to Nathan's link to drugs and his known involvement in the Vortex Club Parties. The bunker was clearly paid for by Sean Prescott, linking the family to the victims, as well as to Jefferson. As of Episode Four, Jefferson is most likely responsible for kidnapping Rachel and Kate, along with various other students he keeps logged in files. It is not fully confirmed whether or not he and Nathan Prescott are working as a team, although the fact that these crimes took place on in a Bunker owned by the Prescott family, makes this a strong likelihood. While Mr. Jefferson has been revealed as the orchestrator of dark room events, many fans still speculate over his true motives. Many simply believe that he's using young women to his advantage in his photography in a deal with the Prescotts. Others believe that he has a much more complex and sophisticated role in the series and that not all is as it appears to be. Fans continue to point out pieces of information which don't seem to all add up to what Mr. Jefferson is doing in the dark room, for example: * Why he kept and released Kate Marsh alive. * Why he refuses advances made on him by students (particularly Victoria). * Why he has a very large amount of food and drink stored in the dark room. Theories range from him knowing about the end of the world and aiming to prevent it, to being a psychopathic serial killer. Nathan's Father A common flawed speculation is that Mr. Jefferson is actually Sean Prescott, Nathan's father. There are two major factors which prove against this theory. The first is the photograph of a young Nathan as a child with his father Sean which can be found in Nathan's dorm room. The second is that during the End of World party Luke mentions that he met Nathan's father once and described him as a "Mean bastard" - if it was actually Jefferson then Luke would have instantly known. Association With Time Travel and The Rewind Ability Another popular theory is the belief that Mr. Jefferson, like Max, has time control powers and/or knew about Max's own abilities; hence why he chose to sedate her in order to prevent her from using her powers to rewind time. This also could be an explanation as to how he managed to get to the junkyard extremely quickly at the end of episode 4, as Chloe and Max left the party Mr. Jefferson was still speaking on stage although this has been dismissed merely as Mr. Jefferson driving a faster vehicle. Besides from Chloe, Mr. Jefferson is the only other character who is hinted to know about Max's powers throughout the game. Jefferson's very first line from episode 1 makes a distinctive link between time and photography mentioning Alfred Hitchcock's "little pieces of time". His constant mentioning of Max's "gift" in episode 1 could imply that he somehow knows about her abilities, but it could also just be a foreshadowing to Max having such special abilities. Furthermore, is speculated that he could aim especially for girls with those rewinding powers and as Rachel could have also had those he killed her and now is trying to kill Max. Associated Deaths * Kate Marsh - (Caused, Determinant) Jefferson is in part to blame for Kate Marsh's suicide attempt, due to not taking her worried confession of her unhappiness seriously. It could also be possible that he drugged, or assisted in drugging Kate at the Vortex Club Party she was at. * Rachel Amber - (Likely Caused) Jefferson was most likely involved with Nathan in dosing, coercing and burying Rachel in the junkyard. * Chloe Price - (Caused, Direct)' '''Jefferson shot Chloe in the head after sedating Max with a needle, causing her to be unable to use her rewind. * Nathan Prescott - ('Caused, Direct') Mark informed Max in chapter five that Nathan was a flight risk and he could not "keep him as a protege" for much longer after Rachel's overdose. As quoted by Jefferson himself, he bluntly put forth that Nathan was "dead and buried." * Victoria Chase - ('Caused, Direct')' 'After Max's return from the timeline in which Mr. Jefferson is arrested before her capture and she is sent on the "Everyday Heroes" trip, Mr. Jefferson informs Max that he "had to let Victoria Chase go", keeping it vague at first until Max's hope of her being alive were sparked to which he corrected in saying, "Don't be stupid, okay? She is exactly where she deserves to be." Relationships Friends * Principal Wells - It seemed that Wells and Jefferson were on good terms together. In reality, Jefferson only saw Wells as a drunk foolish headmaster. * Sean Prescott - The depth of Jefferson's relationship with the Prescotts is unknown. There appears to be, to some extent, a level of trust the Prescotts have/had for Jefferson by allowing him to mentor Nathan and giving him access to their fortune. Jefferson also had hold of personal information regarding the Prescotts and their history. Despite all of this, Jefferson does not seem to hold the Prescotts in high regard and mainly sees them as a tool to get what he wants. * Nathan Prescott - Jefferson was his mentor and father figure. At the start of their student-teacher relationship, Jefferson found it quite touching but he eventually became irritated and annoyed with Nathan's incompetence. After Nathan accidentally overdosed Rachel Amber, Jefferson decided to get rid of Nathan and began to plan his elimination. Students * Victoria Chase - Victoria very much had a crush on Jefferson which he seemed to be aware of but completely ignored her at anytime she tried to make advances on him. He revealed to Max that he saw her as a spoilt brat and will decide to kill her if you warned Victoria about Nathan. Despite all of this, Jefferson still gave his time and dedication to Victoria as a teacher to help her with her artwork. * Max Caulfield - From the beginning of episode 1, Jefferson saw Max as "special". Why he saw her as unique and having a "gift" compared to any other student is never revealed but it's possible that he saw her as the most innocent out of the bunch. From that point onwards, he tried to passively persuade her to enter her photo for the Everyday Heroes contest so they could go to San Francisco together. Max was very much inspired by Jefferson's work, so much so that she applied to Blackwell Academy specifically for Jefferson's art course. He was certainly a very influential figure in her life and she had a large amount of respect for him. * Kate Marsh - Kate was one of Jefferson's past victims, he saw her as pure and sweet but naive. He tells Max that Kate could have been his masterpiece instead. Sometime during the semester, Kate became Jefferson's classroom assistant and it appears that she trusted him enough to some extent to go to him for help in episode 2. Some fans speculate that Kate also had a crush on Jefferson. Romantic * Rachel Amber - Although it is now clear that Rachel was in love with Jefferson, it is unknown whether he reciprocated her feelings towards him or if he took advantage of her love for him to get her to pose for his photography. Jefferson appeared to know about Frank and Chloe while they were totally unaware of each other's relationships with Rachel as well as Jefferson's relationship with her, which begs the interesting question if Rachel trusted Jefferson more than anyone else. Regardless, while explaining her fate to Max, Jefferson seemed hardly emotional which does imply that he never really cared about her. Trivia *In Episode 2 - "Out of Time", Jefferson says, in reference to Kate, "maybe she doth protest too much," a reference to "the lady who doth protest too much, methinks" from the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. *During Episode 3, Max views a social media page supporting Mr. Jefferson. The page states that his birthday is April 11, 1967 and that he attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago. *During "Dark Room", Dontnod are cleverly throwing players off the trail, as they receive a positive image of Jefferson from the playful and helpful conversations he has with Max and Chloe throughout the episode. *Jefferson's license plate is TPFTHLK, a reference to ''Top of the Lake. The show is about a detective investigating the case of a missing girl. *During the "investigation" scene of "Dark Room", David's clues include a photo and location data of Jefferson's car. Cross-referencing the time of Kate's abduction with both Jefferson's and Nathan's vehicles shows that they were both at the same location, at the same time. *In "Dark Room", a note addressed to Nathan can be found attached to the computer screen in the bunker, and is assumed by Max to be from Nathan's father, but is very likely from Jefferson. The note implies that Jefferson's relation to Nathan is that of a guide and mentor. Character Creation and Concept When asked by the fans during the Square Enix LivestreamReference needed of Life is Strange, the developers revealed that they pretty much had Mark Jefferson's character set in stone since the beginning. They wanted him to appear as the "cool teacher" and they had a lot of positive feedback from the fans during the earlier episodes saying how much they love Jefferson, but they anticipated the antagonistic hate for him after fans played episode four. As a clear demonstration of his deceptive nature and personality, they noted how Jefferson's true evil colours appeared in the dark room during episode five. They also revealed in the chat that Rachel Amber was in fact in love with him before her death and that her letter written to Chloe (which can be found in the junkyard during episode two) was referencing Mark Jefferson. Mark Jefferson was not suspected by many people as he used his cover as a teacher, therefore creating a "perfect" image. References Category:Episode One: Chrysalis Characters Category:Episode Two: Out of Time Characters Category:Episode Three: Chaos Theory Characters Category:Episode Four: Dark Room Characters Category:Episode Five: Polarized Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Blackwell Academy Staff Category:Dark Room Conspiracy Category:Major Characters Category:Determinant